A combination of anti-HIV drugs has been found to also reduce the risk of recurrent malaria by nearly half among HIV-positive children, according to researchers supported by the National Institutes of Health. [Read more…]
HIV Antiretrovirals May Help Fight Malaria
Bed nets and insecticides form the cornerstone of malaria prevention, with antimalarial drugs being used mainly to treat people who become ill with the disease. The drugs do have some protective effect, but it quickly wanes. Now a study in Uganda suggests that an antiretroviral drug given to HIV-infected children can boost the preventive power of a key malaria drug. [Read more…]
Mosquitoes and AIDS
QUESTION
Can mosquito cause AIDS, and why?
ANSWER
No, HIV (the virus that causes AIDS) cannot be transmitted via mosquitoes. When the virus was first discovered, there was a fear that it could be transmitted via the blood ingested by mosquitoes as they feed between humans. However, it was shown very quickly that the virus was too unstable to survive within the mosquito, and so transmission of HIV is limited to direct transfer of blood, semen, vaginal fluid and breast milk, for example during sharing of intravenous needles, unprotected sexual activity and childbirth.
Pharma Service Company Quintiles Selected for Gates Foundation Consortium Clinical Trials Work
Quintiles,an integrated biopharmaceutical company, has been named a preferred provider to a consortium of 14 global health Product Development Partnerships (PDPs), funded in part by the Bill and Melina Gates Foundation . PDPs are not-for-profit entities formed for the purpose of advancing global health and the health of the world’s poorest by the discovery, development and delivery of new effective and affordable medicines for the most neglected diseases in the world.
The 14 PDPs anticipate funding 128 phase I-IV clinical trials over the next two years 2011-2013. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has committed $10 billion over the next 10 years to help research, develop and deliver vaccines and treatments for the world’s poorest countries, with a portion of that commitment directed to the PDPs. The PDPs also receive funding from government agencies, private entities and other sources.
Quintiles will partner with the consortium members by providing one-step access to Quintiles’ global clinical development infrastructure and standards, particularly in the area of infectious diseases such as HIV, malaria and tuberculosis.
“Quintiles is extremely pleased to have been chosen by the consortium members,” said Dr. Kelly McKee, M.D., Quintiles Vice President and Managing Director, Public Health and Government Services. “The work they’re doing has the potential to reshape global health within a generation. The public health issues on which they are focused has the potential to save millions of lives. We are very excited to be named a preferred provider to the consortium and look forward to helping advance this critical mission.”
Source: Business Wire
Malaria Co-infection with Other Diseases of Global Public Health Importance
Effects of co-infection on human health, the need for further research and steps towards integrated control
Introduction
Claire Standley and Moses Adriko surveying for malaria infections in a community in Uganda. Photo: Courtesy Dr Claire Standley
In large parts of the world, the Plasmodium protozoans that cause malaria co-exist alongside a number of other pathogens and parasites, many of which are also infectious to humans. One of the foremost challenges in tackling the huge burden of malaria around the world, and particularly in developing countries, is understanding the dynamics between malaria and these other infections. For example, researchers are seeking to understand the effects of co-infections on a patient’s health and well-being, while at the same time, deciphering how best to provide treatment and disease control regimes in regions with high co-infection prevalence. Moreover, of course, the effects and intricacies of co-infection may vary between regions, or between the types of infectious found alongside malaria. This blog gives a quick introduction to some of the common diseases often found alongside malaria, and especially in the developing world, where significant research resources are directed but also where treatment and control needs are greatest.
Malaria and HIV
The Effects of Maternal Helminth and Malaria Infections on Mother-to-Child HIV Transmission
Objective: To investigate the effect of helminth and/or malaria infection on the risk of HIV infection in pregnant women and its transmission to their offspring.
Design: A retrospective cohort study of pregnant Kenyan women and their offspring from term, uncomplicated vaginal deliveries (n = 936) with a nested case-control study.
Methods: We determined the presence of HIV, malaria, schistosomiasis, lymphatic filariasis, and intestinal helminthes in mothers and tested for HIV antibodies in 12-24 month-old offspring of HIV-positive women. We related these findings to the presence of cord blood lymphocyte activation and cytokine production in response to helminth antigens.
Results: HIV-positive women (n = 83, 8.9% of all women tested) were 2-fold more likely to have peripheral blood and/or placental malaria (P < 0.025) and a 2.1-fold greater likelihood of lymphatic filariasis infection (P < 0.001) compared to location-and-parity matched HIV-negative women. Women with HIV and malaria tended to show an increased risk for mother-to-child-transmission (MTCT) of HIV, although this difference was not significant. MTCT of HIV, however, was significantly higher in women co-infected with one or more helminthes (48%) verses women without helminth infections (10%, P < 0.01; adjusted odds ratio, 7.3; 95% confidence interval, 2.4-33.7). This increased risk for MTCT of HIV correlated with cord blood lymphocytes production of interleukin-5/interleukin-13 in response to helminth antigens (P < 0.001).
Conclusion: Helminth co-infection is associated with increased risk for MTCT of HIV, possibly by a mechanism in which parasite antigens activates lymphocytes in utero. Treatment of helminthic infections during pregnancy may reduce the risk of MTCT of HIV.
Author Information
Gallagher, Maureena; Malhotra, Indua; Mungai, Peter La,b; Wamachi, Alex Nc; Kioko, John Mb; Ouma, John Hd; Muchiri, Ericb; King, Christopher La,e
From the aCenter for Global Health and Diseases and Center for AIDS Research, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA
bDivision of Vector Borne Diseases, Nairobi, Kenya
cKenyan Medical Research Institute, Kenya
dMaseno University, Maseno, Kenya
eDepartment of Veteran’s Affairs Medical Center, Cleveland, OH, USA.
Correspondence to C. L. King, Center for Global Health and Diseases, Case Western Reserve University, 2103 Cornell Rd, WRB Rm 4132, Cleveland, OH 44106-7286, USA. Tel: +1 216 368 4817; fax: +1 216 368 4825; e-mail: christopher.king@case.edu
Citation: AIDS: Official Journal of the International AIDS Society, Nov. 4, 2005, – Volume 19 – Issue 16 – p 1849-1855
More information: Full text – The Effects of Maternal Helminth and Malaria Infections on Mother-to-Child HIV Transmission (PDF)